Flavor-Packed Barefoot Contessa Veal Piccata Recipe

Veal piccata dances with bright, zesty flavors that transform an ordinary meal into a sophisticated culinary experience.

Italian-inspired techniques elevate tender meat through a delicate coating and tangy sauce.

Light, golden-brown scallops emerge from the skillet with a crisp exterior and succulent interior.

Mediterranean influences shine through each carefully seasoned piece, creating a harmonious blend of textures and tastes.

You’ll find the technique surprisingly simple yet impressively elegant for home cooking.

The combination of sharp citrus, rich butter, and briny elements creates a complex flavor profile that delights the palate: Get ready to impress everyone at your dinner table.

Why Barefoot Contessa Veal Piccata Feels Luxurious

• Capture Quick Flavor Explosion: This veal piccata delivers intense, tangy taste with bright lemon notes and rich buttery undertones that dance across your palate in mere minutes.
• Master Effortless Gourmet Technique: The recipe transforms simple ingredients into a restaurant-quality dish through an easy pan-searing method that creates golden-brown veal with a luxurious sauce in under 15 minutes.
• Elevate Weeknight Dining Experience: With sophisticated Italian-inspired flavors and professional cooking techniques, this dish turns an ordinary meal into a special culinary moment without requiring advanced cooking skills or complicated preparation.
• Versatile Protein Performance: The recipe's adaptable method works beautifully with veal, but can easily be modified for chicken or fish, making it a flexible go-to recipe for elegant entertaining or spontaneous delicious dinners.

What You’ll Need for Barefoot Contessa Veal Piccata

• Veal Scallops: Tender, thin cuts perfect for quick cooking and absorbing sauce flavors; choose fresh, uniform thickness for even cooking.

• All-Purpose Flour: Helps create a golden, crispy exterior on veal; use unbleached flour for best results.
• Salt, Black Pepper: Essential for seasoning and enhancing meat's natural flavor; freshly ground pepper adds more depth.

• White Wine: Adds acidity and depth to the sauce; choose a dry wine like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.
• Chicken Stock: Provides rich, savory base for the sauce; low-sodium stock allows better control of saltiness.
• Garlic: Adds aromatic, pungent flavor to the sauce; fresh garlic cloves offer best taste.
• Lemon Juice: Brings bright, tangy notes to balance the richness; fresh lemons provide the most vibrant flavor.
• Capers: Small, briny pickled buds that add a salty, tangy punch to the dish; rinse to reduce excessive saltiness.

• Unsalted Butter: Creates a silky, rich sauce and helps veal achieve golden brown color; European-style butter has higher fat content.
• Fresh Parsley: Adds fresh, herbal brightness and color; flat-leaf parsley has more intense flavor.

How to Sauté Perfect Veal Piccata

Step 1: Prepare Flavor Coating

Mix flour with salt and pepper in a wide, shallow bowl. Gently coat each veal scallop in the seasoned flour, tapping off excess coating.

• All-purpose flour
• Salt
• Black pepper

Step 2: Sear Veal to Golden Perfection

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add butter and quickly sauté veal scallops for one minute on each side until they develop a beautiful golden-brown color. Transfer cooked veal to a warm serving platter.

Step 3: Create Tangy Sauce

• Chicken stock
• Minced garlic
• Fresh lemon juice
• Briny capers

Simmer sauce for 5 minutes until it thickens slightly.

Step 4: Enhance Sauce Richness

Stir in remaining butter and chopped fresh parsley. Let butter melt completely. Return veal scallops to the skillet and gently simmer for an additional minute to blend flavors.

Step 5: Serve and Enjoy

Plate the veal piccata immediately, garnishing with extra parsley sprigs. Serve alongside pasta, rice, or roasted vegetables for a complete meal.

Chef Tips for Tangy Veal Piccata Sauce

• Pound to Perfection: Use a meat mallet to evenly flatten veal cutlets, creating uniform thickness that guarantees quick and consistent cooking.
• Sizzle for Success: Heat your skillet until it's super hot to achieve that beautiful golden-brown crust that locks in the veal's delicate flavor.
• Deglaze Like a Pro: Scrape up those flavorful browned bits from the pan when adding wine – they're packed with rich, concentrated taste that transforms your sauce.
• Lemon Love: Start with a conservative amount of lemon juice, tasting as you go to balance the bright, tangy notes without overwhelming the delicate veal.
• Timing is Everything: Brief reheating of veal in the sauce keeps the meat tender and allows flavors to mingle without overcooking the delicate protein.

Storage Instructions for Barefoot Contessa Veal Piccata

• Cool Completely: Let the Veal Piccata reach room temperature before storing to prevent moisture buildup and maintain optimal texture. Condensation can make the delicate meat soggy and compromise its original crispy coating.
• Vacuum Seal: Pack individual portions in vacuum-sealed bags to extend freshness and prevent freezer burn. This method locks in flavors and preserves the veal's tender quality for up to 3 months, significantly longer than traditional freezer storage.
• Layer Wisely: When refrigerating, separate layers with parchment paper to prevent the piccata from sticking together. Place the most delicate pieces on top to avoid crushing and maintain their delightful presentation.

Flavor Variations for Veal Piccata Lovers

• Chicken Swap: Replace veal with thinly sliced chicken breasts for a lighter, more accessible protein option that maintains the classic piccata flavor profile.
• Vegetarian Alternative: Substitute veal with breaded portobello mushroom slices or firm tofu, creating a plant-based version that captures the essence of the original recipe's tangy sauce.
• Gluten-Free Adaptation: Use almond flour or cornstarch instead of wheat flour for dredging, ensuring those with gluten sensitivities can enjoy this zesty Italian-inspired dish.
• Mediterranean Fusion: Add sun-dried tomatoes and a sprinkle of oregano to the sauce, transforming the traditional piccata into a more complex Mediterranean-style entrée with robust Mediterranean flavors.

One Last Fork of Barefoot Contessa Veal Piccata

Barefoot Contessa’s veal piccata reveals culinary mastery with each delicate bite.

Classical Italian techniques merge seamlessly with modern kitchen elegance.

Lemon-kissed sauce drapes tender veal scallops like a silken culinary canvas.

Rich pan drippings create complex flavor profiles that dance across palate landscapes.

Succulent meat becomes extraordinary through careful preparation and strategic seasoning.

Mediterranean-inspired cooking welcomes everyone to savor sophisticated simplicity – taste, share, comment, and spread delicious inspiration with fellow culinary adventurers.

Barefoot Contessa Veal Piccata Recipe

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4.5 from 20 reviews

• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

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Description

Ina Garten’s veal piccata delivers Italian elegance with tender medallions seared to golden perfection. Lemon, capers, and white wine create a tangy sauce that elevates this classic dish, inviting you to savor each restaurant-quality bite.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Main Proteins:

• 4 veal scallops, about 0.75 pound (340 grams), pounded to a thickness of 0.125-inch

Dry Ingredients:

• ½ cup (60 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons salt (divided)
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Liquid and Flavor Enhancers:

• 1 ½ tablespoons (22 milliliters) vegetable oil
• 5 tablespoons (71 grams) butter (divided)
• 1 cup (237 milliliters) dry white wine
• ½ cup (118 milliliters) chicken stock
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 lemon, juiced (about 2 tablespoons), or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons capers, drained
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves (optional)
• Parsley sprigs for garnish

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Instructions

1. Transform the veal scallops by creating a delicate coating: Blend all-purpose flour (120 grams / ), kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper in a shallow ceramic dish, ensuring an even, light dusting on each delicate cutlet.
2. Preheat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat with neutral cooking oil, allowing the surface to become intensely hot without smoking, then introduce unsalted butter to create a golden searing environment.
3. Gently place the flour-coated veal into the sizzling pan, allowing each side to caramelize for approximately 1 minute until achieving a rich, golden-brown complexion; transfer the perfectly seared cutlets onto a warm serving platter.
4. Deglaze the skillet with crisp white wine, using a wooden spatula to liberate the flavorful browned fragments clinging to the pan’s surface; reduce the liquid by half to concentrate its essence.
5. Incorporate chicken stock, minced garlic, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and briny capers into the reduction, allowing the sauce to simmer and thicken for 5 minutes, developing a robust, layered flavor profile.
6. Enhance the sauce’s richness by incorporating the remaining butter and finely chopped fresh parsley, stirring until the butter melts completely and creates a silky, glossy texture.
7. Return the veal scallops to the pan, gently nestling them into the aromatic sauce and allowing them to warm through for an additional minute, ensuring the flavors harmonize beautifully.
8. Elegantly plate the veal piccata, garnishing with additional parsley sprigs for a touch of vibrant color and fresh herbaceous notes, serving immediately to preserve the dish’s optimal temperature and texture.

Notes

• Thin and Trim: Pound the veal to an even thickness, ensuring quick and uniform cooking that guarantees a tender, perfectly prepared meal.
• Sizzling Start: Heat your pan until it’s screaming hot, creating a beautiful golden-brown crust that locks in the veal’s natural flavors and juiciness.
• Wine Magic: Deglaze the pan with wine after cooking, scraping up those delectable browned bits that transform an ordinary sauce into a restaurant-worthy masterpiece.
• Zesty Balance: Add lemon juice gradually, tasting as you go to achieve that bright, tangy flavor that complements the rich veal without overwhelming it.
• Quick Finale: Return the veal to the pan for just a minute, allowing the flavors to meld together while keeping the meat incredibly tender and succulent.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Sautéing
• Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4
• Calories: 400 kcal
• Sugar: 1 g
• Sodium: 800 mg
• Fat: 30 g
• Saturated Fat: 10 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 20 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Protein: 15 g
• Cholesterol: 80 mg